Commodity cabinet



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,913

' J. L. FLANNERY COMMODITY CABINET Filed Jan. 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HARPS SHARPS SHARPS 3H .5-3 74 1 '7 Z Spt. 18, 1928.

J. L. FLANNERY COMMODITY CABINET Filed Jan 14. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SHAR i atented Sept. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT (ti i im l.

JOHN L. FLANNERY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOYE I-IEEDLE.C01VI- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 033 ILLINOIS.-

ooMMonrrY CABINET.

Application filed January T hisinveution relates particularly to commodity cabinets adapted to be placed upon the coiinters in retail stores for the purpose of displaying small articles or packages of merchandise and facilitate the sale thereof.

The primary objectds to provide a commodity cabinet of simple construction and operating in an improved manner. I

The improved device is well adapted, for example, to the p .ipose of displaying and effecting the sale of packages of needles. Tt may, however, be employed for other articles than needles.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which 7 F 1 represents a vertical sectional View of the improved cabinet, the section being taken as indicated at line 1. of Fig. '5; Fig. 2, a broken side elevational view of the upper portion of the cabinet; Fig. 3, a front perspective view of one of the tilting receptacles with which the cabinet is fitted; 4, a broken rear elevational view of the upper portion of the cabinet; i? 5, front elevational view of the cabinet; 3 6, a broken sectional View taken indic ted at line 6 of Fig. 1; and i ig. 7, a broken sectional view taken as inicated at line '7 of Fig. 2.

In the illustration given, the cabinet comprises a base A; aninclined housing A supported on said base, and several series of tilting receptacles B pivotally mounted on the rear vall of the housing A and adapted to swing in openings with which said rear wall is provided.

The base A preferably consists of a suitble board; and the housing A preferably comprises side members 1, 1; a top member transparent front plate a, preferably of glass; and a rear wall 5, preferably consisting of a plate of sheet-metal. The top memis interposed between the upper ends her a of the side members 1 and 2 and is secured thereto by means of screws 6. The base A, the top piece 3, and the side pieces 1 and 2 preferably are provided with grooves which receive the edges of the plates t and 5. The plates may be inserted in the grooves, and the top piece 3 may then be applied and connected by means of the screw 6.

Thetilting receptacles B preferably are arranged in vertical tiers and in transverse rows. as will be clearly understood from Fig. 5. The receptacles may be of any desired con- 14, 1925. Serial No. 2,311

struction. Preferably each receptacle is formed from sheet-metal, in any desired mannor, and comprises a back 7, sides 8, bottom 9, and a low front wall 10. The back 7 has an upward eiitension 7 which is offset rearwardly. The receptacles are disposed inside of the rear wall 5, but the upper extensions 7 of the backs are accommodated by openings 11 in the wall 5,'these openings being only slightly larger than the dimensions of the extensions 7. The extensions 7' are provided adjacent the offsets 7" with eyes, or pivot portions, 12 which are formed by slitting the metal and punching it rearwardly. Through the eyes 12. extend pivot rods 13 w ich extend through eyes 1 1 which areformed at the rear side ofthe sheet-metal wall 2. by punching the metal rearwardly.

The back-extensions 7 are provided with rearwardly and downwardly curved tabs 7, which serve as finger pieces.

The eyes 14 may likewise be formed The receptacles B are, in theillustration given, adaptedto hold needle packages 15. he frontsurfaces of the back-extensions 7 may bear suitable inscriptions to indicate the style and number of theneedles. In Fig. 1, the left-hand tier of receptacles have the front surfaces of the back-extensions marked with the word Sharps and with numerals indicating the sizes of the needles. Thus, the receptacles are numbered in the left-hand tier 1, 2 and 3. The adjacent tier is numbered 41, 5 and 6; the third tier from the left is numbered 7, S and 9;-thetop receptacle of the fourth tier is numbered 10. Other receptacles containing vmined sizes are appropriately marked to indicate the same. For example, one of the receptacles is marked Sharps 5 10. Thelower receptacles of the third right-hand tiers are marked Emb. 510, indicating embroidery needles of assorted sizes.

As shown in Fig. 4, the tabs 7 are appropriately marked to indicate the character and size of the needles; and the rear wall 5 is correspondingly marked below the transverse row ofreceptacles. Thus, both the purchaser and the dealer are able to note the kind and size of needles in the various re-' ceptacles.

When the needle packages are in the receptacles, they are supported at their lower edges on the bottom of the receptacle and rest naturally against the rear wall of the receptacle. The dealer-may take hold of the tab 7 of a receptacle and tilt the receptacle rearwardly, as indicated by dotted hnes in one instance in Fig. 1, and thus is enabled to move packages through the opening in the rear wall. As soon as the hold is released on the receptacle, it returns by gravity to its normal position. That is, the receptacle is self-rightmg.

The sides 8 of each receptacle are provided at their upper edges with outturned flanges 8 which are adapted to strike against the rear wall and limit the tilting of the receptacle.

Preferably, the base A, which is adapted to rest on a counter, is provided with an opening 16 which extends across the bottom of the housing so that if a needle package is accidentally dislodged, it will fall through the opening 16 onto the counter and may be re covered by lifting the cabinet from the counter.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that the customer is able.

by reason of the glass-wall 4 of the housing, to see the wares displayed in the receptacles which are pivotally mounted on the rear wall. and which are adapted to. tilt rearwardly. The cabinet and the receptacles may be made very attractive in appearance, and the needle packages may also be made attractive in appearance so that the device is adapted to attract custom.

The improved cabinet is simple in construction, and is well adapted to its purpose. The receptacles may be readily loaded by tilting them rearwardly and inserting the needle packages through the openings with which the rear wall 5 is provided; or. if desired, the top member 3 may be removed and the plate 5, carrying the receptacles, may be removed for the purpose of loading the receptacles.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as per- Inissible in view of the prior art.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by'Letters Patent, is:

1. A commodity cabinet comprising a housing provided with a base, side-walls, and a topwall, a front glass plate and a rear sheetmetal plate having their edge portions received in grooves with which the walls of the said housing are provided, said sheet-metal plate having openings therein arranged. in horizontal rows and Vertical rows, sheet-metal receptacles arranged in vertical tiers and dis- I housing, a removable front glass plate and a removable sheet-metal plate confined in said housing in substantially parallel relation and having between them an intervening space, said sheet metal'plate having openings therein arranged in horizontal and vertical rows,

sheet-metal receptacles arranged in vertical 7 and horizontal rows and dis osed adjacent the inner surfaces of the wa ls intervening between the openings, said receptacles having back-extensions normally closing said open.- ings and having rearwardly struck pivot-eyes, said sheet-metal plate being also provided with rearwardly struck pivot-eyes arranged in horizontal rows, and pivot-rods extending through said eyes and connecting the horizontal 10\ s of receptacles to said sheet-metal plate.

3. A cabinet constructed in accordance with claim 2, in which the sheet metal receptacles have low front walls, side walls with outturned flanges in their upper edges, and in which the back extensions are equipped at their upper ends with rearwardly projecting finger-pieces.

JOHN L. FLANNERY. 

